first post Christmas post

well... Merry Christmas to all bike lovers... and the rest of us bike likers.

i am now in a modified typing scenario. both hands, but the keyboard is shifted hard right on my lap. i'm not allowed to move the fixed arm to straight in front of me yet.

actually, there was a Bike Club theme for me this holiday season. i received two helmuts, and a pair of winter riding/jogging tights. (those funny looking things with the reflection strips that the technical director wears.) i'll return one helmut eventually. now all i need is the new bike and time to ride it... maybe next year, or the year after that.

i hope to post the surgery pictures i was given in the next while.

surgery today

so, it's done. i was supposed to have a local block for anesthesia so i could watch the proceedings, but it didn't take. they had to put me under. the local block they put in still isn't out... they told me to expect pain tonight.
have to use the sling for 3 weeks.
should be ready for our big spring event, however...
glad i got yesterday's ride in.
perhaps someone will report from the gathering tomorrow, but i won't be there and one-handed typing sucks.

Night ride this eve

Well, James, Jonny, the Technical Director and I met at Whittier Park this eve at 9:20pm. We decided not to race, but to explore... with my surgery coming tomorrow morning, it would have been poor for me to push too hard and have an incident. We rode til about 11:00.

Check this map which is in the media section of our site for the the Whittier Park ride area. Follow the dotted red lines for our route.

I'll see if I can type (one handed) a few notes about the surgery tomorrow.

Race this weekend

Yes it's cold right now. But not so cold that we cannot continue to be excited about the next race. Yesterday my fingers froze and my freewheel was threatening to do so as well. So now the bike keeps me company in my office during the day. I almost got sideswiped today by some asshole in an Aztec flying around that sharp corner on Wellington before he lost control and took out an oncoming car. This only 200 ft away from where some other idiot in a pickup decided to try and take down the St James bridge the day before. Two crashes in two days. I think I might stick to the bike path for a while, at least for that portion of the trip.

In any case--we do need to have another race before our loyal secretary gets his shoulder rebuilt. He's nearly the bionic man already, so I wouldn't want to have to line up against him once he's healed. The always reliable Environment Canada weather service tells us that it's supposed to warm up during the weekend. -6 on Saturday and -4 on Sunday, with the low only a balmy -11 for Sunday night.

My suggestion: a Sunday evening race back at Whittier park. A slightly longer lap than last time, which will feature mostly trail riding. Johnny G and I scouted out some possible race courses last weekend and we believe we have a few options that would be still more exciting than the thrilling race we held a few weeks back. If we get enough guys out, we might even try James' relay idea and see if it works.

Thanks for the link to the icebike site, Darryl. I think it is based in Alaska.

icebike site

here's the link to the icebike site. It seems to be Winnipeg based. Info on riding technique, dressing, and anything else related to riding bike in the winter, except for the race that carries the name, and there's even a comment about that on the news page.

and for the Great Lakes/Chicago members, there are even winter riding enthusiasts out your way at the Chicago Bike Winter site.

december 9 gathering

no major news. a bit of discussion over the Duke's shirt. Trevor has suggested that it is now his, as the Duke has made no moves toward claiming the shirt he initially ordered.

would be nice to get one more event in before I go under the knife for the shoulder rebuild on monday. the current -30 weather has made it difficult to get excited about the idea. night race at Whittier has been suggested... the technical/race director claims it's no problem without a light. the ground's white, the trees are not. no problem.
there will be an email around if something transpires.

the secretary

fgbcbc #2

It's now a few days later and the dust has all but settled. Time for an update on the second installment of the fgbcbc. Despite some good early indications that had us looking at a possible record number of participants, we ended up with five eager racers yet again. The Wolesely contingent put in a good showing, warming up by biking to the race site at Whittier park and previewing the course while waiting for the secretary to finish his pep talk with the faith and life women's choir. Two rookies made their debut Jimmy and the Secretary. The race: 3 laps aroung Whittier park (river trails and back on the gravel path, including a mandatory trip through Whittier's version of devil's ditch). This time the pack stayed together for the first half lap. Jonny G took his customary early lead, but a bad choice of trails let Chris and Jimmy get ahead. Taking advantage of Chris's untimely confrontation with a tree, the secretary moved into second behind Jimmy. Coming into the first straight, the two rookies are sitting 1-2, with Chris on their tail and Jonny G and Unger not much farther back. As the course became flatter and straighter, Chris attacked and Jimmy couldn't hold his wheel. Jonny G soon caught the two rookies and assumed second spot. Chris's long solo break held for the remaining 2.5 laps, but not without a few more close encounters with trees and nearly sliding down the river bank. Jonny G held onto second place, despite falling on the last straight and giving Jimmy some last-minute hopes for second. This left Unger and the secretary in a monumental battle for 4th place, with the secretary narrowly taking it at the line.

Post-race festivities ensued at 206 Home St., with Juan Eppstein joining the fun after putting in some weekend hours at the office. Our worst fears have been confirmed: Bubbas are no longer being produced. 12 Canadians had to suffice, courtesy of the secretary. Post-race conversational highlights included James's idea that the next race should be a team effort--pairing up and racing as a relay. In addition to possibly keeping competition closer, this would have the added benefit of allowing the traditional post-race festivities to take place during the race itself. It was noted that participation from Altona has been a little on the lax side lately, and that the Duke has not yet been to one fgbc event involving bikes.

FGBC Bubba Cup #2 a success!

I won't give any colour commentary at this point, (except to say that the two race novices were #1 and 2 for the first leg of the race), but want to say that the event was sweet. I'm hoping the race director will comment on the nature of the course and the event.

You'll notice that there is now a Race Standings link from the homepage, and there are pictures of the event under the "Events 2003" heading.

Sad news on the bubba. They are no longer made. Do we change the name of the race series, or do we forge on with the bubba held in our memories?

the secretary

Strong Dave

I still can't seem to get pictures to actually work on the blog, so, if you want to see the pics of Strong Dave (ie. our Juan Eppstein) at work, you'll have to click on this link:
Strong Dave

Meeting Place and more

The secretary tells me I'm supposed to clarify the meeting place for Saturday. While I'm not sure that responsibility is part of the technical director's portfolio, here's the deal. We will meet at the end of Tache (right by the intersection with Messager St.). I can't remember if there's a parking lot there or not, but there will be ample room for parking. Be there at 1pm.

I'm assuming the Wolseley contingent will ride there together. Let's meet at my place at 12:30. Others can feel free to join us if you want to get more kms in those legs.

We do not yet have a venue to host the post-race Bubba-fest. Perhaps one of the mini-vans will have to suffice.

A brief update on my recent visit to Atlanta is in order. Two things of note: (1) I did a couple hours of good riding on Sunday morning. Weather was in the 20's and sunny, and the trails were surprisingly technical for being inside the City. Reminds me of how much the cards are stacked against us here in Winnipeg. But we won't let that discourage us. (2) There was a discussion concerning FGBC that took place--namely Trevor Bechtel indicated an interest in the subject, possibly even membership status. It seems he and Andy have had a conversation or two. The Americans are rallying! Let us not be too complacent. Still, I suggested Trev might want to consider making a pilgrimage to these parts sometime this summer, where among other things we founding (and non-American) members can flex our muscles, so to speak. Perhaps Jeff and Johnny S could lead them on a little night-ride as a sort of hazing process.

Trevor also expressed disappointment in not getting the last jersey, especially since (does this sound familiar?) James swooped in and nabbed it.

If only there was as much interest in the biking side of our operations as in the marketing/promotions wing. But all that will change on Saturday at 1pm.

new race date - Sat. Nov. 29

Well, it's not for lack of trying that we're going to get the second Fort Garry Bike Club Bubba Cup in. Now it's this saturday, at Whittier Park.

Meet at 1:00pm in the parking lot where the Festival de Voyaguer happens. Since those instructions are nearly meaningless to me, I'm including a link to a map of the close vicinity. I'm assuming our technical director, (and by now, race cheerleader) will put a quick post up here clarifying the point of entry to said parking lot.

The agenda so far is to meet, take a gentle ride to scope a course, and then, well, last one home is a rotten egg. (Check the Team Brown Manifesto for more on the rotten egg motivational bit.)




Map of
St Joseph St N At Grandin St
Winnipeg, MB

It was a slightly better turnout at headquarters. Jonny G is back from near death, Chris, Juan Eppstein, myself, James... there was a strong rumour that the president might show, but still nothing.

Oh, and for Chris and anyone else who doesn't know who Strongbad is....
www.homestarruner.com is the site, this link takes you right to Strongbad emails. Scroll right down to the "dragon" email if you want to cut to the quick. I'm hoping we can post the pic of Juan Eppstein dressed up as Strongbad for Halloween sometime...

a couple thoughts from the headquarters tonight

well, the actual FGBC turnout at the headquarters was a little thin last night. Chris, Juan Eppstein and I were the only attendees that were actually at the inaugural ride. James, Vic P. and Lorne B were there, but Lorne had James so mesmorized by discussions on how poorly the commonly held Westgate pension plan was doing, that he was barely with us til the end, until we got into stories about how fast we had ever driven in a car.

anyway, just to clarify a point from Chris' previous entry, the Feb. 1 Ice Bike race is an event somewhat sponsored by Woodcock Cycle. It's not necessarily a highly competitive event, however. the thinking is, it would be good to see the club out, with jerseys stretched out over bulky outerwear...

hope to see better turnout next week.

here's my haiku:

medium turnout
consider the field lilies
pensions don't love bikes

Good day for a ride

For a variety of reasons--some good, many bad--there was no second race of the Fort Garry (Bubba) Cup this afternoon, and no dogfest either. Another Tuesday of big talk last week at the F & H goes for naught, despite some late heroic efforts by the secretary to rally the troops. Postponed, not cancelled. Still a major disappointment. But just as the afternoon was shaping up to be a bit of a dud, I get a call from Hal Loewen--easily the most loyal non-FGBC member around: meet at Tim's place at 2pm if you want to ride. We did the trails in Whittier and beyond, including many of the ones Johnny G and Unger introduced me to a while back, but more as well. Five of us, for about a 2 hour ride. Perfect. Whittier looks like a good venue for a future FGBC race. This was the first time I took the single-speed out on the trails. It performed admirably, though the gear ratio made for a couple of hikes up some of the steeper and muddier hills.

Dates for the Ice Bike race are now set: Feb 1. Put it on your calendars now.

Here's my haiku. A bit on the uninspired side, I admit.

a race that wasn't
greasy Whittier Park trails
try again next week

Fort Garry Bubba Cup #2 on Nov. 11

With the civic holiday coming on Nov. 11, there is no Hummelt Hockey, so it was decided that we should have a go at race #2. (All in good fun of course). Here's the details:

1. meet at Chris' place at 2:00pm
   
2. race at 2:30
   • if it's too slippery to race on the roads, we'll take a leisurely ride to the park, and determine a course there
3. dogfest at Chris and Rachel's for supper around 5:00pm
   • families welcome
   • bring everything, even a couple of pieces of wood if you have
   • Darryl will look into procurring the Bubba. If you hear news of a vendor selling such (even without the fine Don Cherry jacket), please let him know

Some discussion on how much we love FG Dark took place. You never quite know what you're going to get... the first glass was great, the second, so bad that we sent them back... but they opened a new keg for us, so all was well. That's the beauty of loving the home team.

Oh yes, there was brief follow up to yesterday's Haiku entry. (I do hope someone will prepare one for the start of the race...) Chris meant to craft one, but didn't quite get to it... in lieu, we banged a couple group efforts out relating to the eve's hockey game. Enjoy:

stifled breakaway
slewfooted Les on purpose
white takes victory

masklike red straight man
played with passive dignity
not very funny

At this early stage in our development, the careful reader might note, we are sticking carefully to the 5, 7, 5 rule. Perhaps with time and experience, we may move beyond. Please check the links in the previous post for more encouraging info on the rules and state of being one can enjoy in the Haiku moment.

Haiku tutorials

To keep our minds sharp in the off-season... it would be nice if we could all arrive at the weekly meeting with a freshly minted Haiku.

Here's one I just came up with to get things started:

a haiku in snow
tracks from a snake belly run
we must be complete

Check this link for a primer. HAIKU for PEOPLE

Check this link for more in-depth Haiku instruction. Haiku. The "Haiku Rules that have come and gone" article was helpful.

our alter ego bike club in Winnipeg

Yup, it looks like it's for real. They drink beer, steal beer logos, write haikus, race (on any bike you've got), drink beer, have shirts. After you read the manifesto, go to the "olde team brown site" where they have the haikus and race results.

Team Brown

Bike Club Stratification (editorial)

Well, in the course of amicable discussion last night at club headquarters, a certain sentiment rose again, which has not gone unnoticed since our inaugural ride as a club in spring...

It seems some members believe that their commitment to the Club is, well, superior... with all the attitude and tone that goes with the air of superiority. It has to do with the amount some members ride versus the amount some members do not. Dont' get me wrong, I don't begrudge the "committed" riders their little trip down pious lane. In fact, I wish I was in a position to be part of the ueber-faction.

The only points I want to suggest are that, 1. just like the workers in the vineyard, we all do what we can with what we have, and 2. that I hope our communal memory can serve us to recall that the FGBC really didn't start off as a bike club anyway. Well, yes, a bike club, but not one that really rode bikes. One that talked about riding bikes. Without that time, we would not be where we are today. One ueber-member didn't even have a bike, and probably still wouldn't.

So, perhaps this is a natural evolution. Perhaps us lesser members will get a pink triangle painted on our foreheads. Perhaps the greater members will strike out on their own to become a legendary Canadian racing dynasty. But we'll remember the genesis, at least some of us will. And when the great dynasty crashes due to in-fighting, and who gets the interviews on TSN, there will still be a few little people who will sit at the Fox and Hound, happily BS'ing about riding bike, and happily drinking FGBC dark.

Fort Garry (Bubba) Cup #1 Results

The first ever race of the Fort Garry Bike Club was held this past Saturday. After some rules clarification and agreement on the exact route of the race course, 5 riders took to the start line: Juan Eppstein and Dave Unger, Jonny G, Anita, and Chris. Right off the start, Jonny set a blistering pace of 35 km plus, which quickly fractured the pack. Chris managed to bridge up by Omands Creek with Juan only a few seconds back. An untimely puncture by Jonny left Chris alone in front, with Juan still only seconds behind and charging fast. After the mandatory off-road section (Devil's Ditch to the footbridge) Chris and Juan were back together, but still riding way-too-hard. Despite some turn-taking at the front the lead group of two stayed together all the way back to Omand's Creek. Chris attacked on the climb up to the footbridge and again on the hill up to Wolseley Ave, both times gaining a few seconds on Juan. Jonny was still fixing his tire at this point. Though flirting with a heartrate of 187 bpm, Chris managed to hold off Juan for a narrow 14 second win. Dave took a provisional third place and Anita, after an incident with a parked van back in the park, brought up the rear. But things were not over just yet. Jonny protested for a second opportunity, and was granted a chance to ride solo against the clock to see what he could do. Unable to be pushed by other riders in the group, he came in a couple minutes back, but good enough for third place.

Final Results:

Chris - 26.59
Juan - 27.13
Jonny G - 29.22
Dave U. - 32.15
Anita - 38.17

Series standings after race #1:

Chris - 10 pts
Juan - 9
Jonny G - 8
Dave U - 7
Anita - 6
Everyone else - 0

A couple more things:

1) One significant rule issue came up: tires. The question was raised whether "slicks" were a legitimate tire for this race. It was decided that they were not. But that was before Juan showed up with slicks on his bike. We allowed him to race with a "this time only" clause. This will need to be taken up at the next meeting, before definitive action can be taken. Does Juan need an asterisk posted beside his time, like the one beside Roger Maris's home run total in 1961?

2) Bubba? Whither art thou? Sadly, a trip to the vendor by the Fox and Hound yielded no Bubba. Our official sponsor was quick to step in and supply us with a 12 of FGD for the post-race festivities. Do Bubbas no longer exist? What implications does this have for the name of our race series?

3) A few pictures were taken and will be sent to the secretary as soon as possible.

4) Next race date and place to be discussed on Tuesday after hockey. Possible venues include Garbage Hill, Birds Hill Park, Whittier Park.

Chris.

Fort Garry Bubba Cup - Oct. 18

Yes, even though membership response has been limited on this website, it has been determined that the event shall proceed.

Meet at Chris' place @ 1:00pm There will be a pre-race meeting to bring everyone up to speed on the details.
Mountain bikes only - to keep the competition a little more even.

Juan Eppstein and Chris are the route coordinators. There are a few fine details to work out, but it promises to come together as an event. Please see the comments on the previous post to get a sense of what route is being tweaked.

This was the nature of the formal business. Well, that's not entirely true. Since Chris was the FGBC rep to the World Road Race Championships in Hamilton, a report was expected, and duly given. Intricacies of road race strategy were examined and dissected. (James wondered why they wouldn't just pretend that they had a mechanical problem so they could cheat and hang onto the support car for a while.) Outside the integrity question, an excellent report on all counts.

Items requiring membership input

Please hit the comment button below, and post your thoughts on these issues which arise from the minutes below:

1. is Saturday October 18 a suitable date for the Fort Garry Bubba Cup?
   
2. on the flats in the park, or a hilly, garbage hill like course?
   
3. how should the handicap system be implemented?
   
4. what should the name of this event be? is a Bubba (see the Bubba at the inaugural ride at Ingolf.) a good idea?
   
5. should we sue the g4s people for some sort of logo infringement?

Remember to put your name at the top of the comment form so it's not anonymous.

MINUTES of October 8, 2003

Present: James, Juan, Chris, Vic P, Jonny, Glenn, Luke, Darryl

First Hummelt hockey evening of the new year, with corresponding meeting at the Fox and Hound, post-game. Thank goodness that's started again.
Significant disappointment to the start of the gathering. Out of Fort Garry Dark. As Jonny and Glenn will attest, I was cast adrift amongst inferior options. Stunned. It took me a few minutes to actually communicate a concise order. Rickards Red was the follow. A second best. Sorry that these minutes have turned slightly personal. It was a difficult few minutes. Now back to more appropriate Bike Club form.

Some exciting developments:

The Fort Garry Cup!

• The technical director presented the work of a dedicated sub-committee. A bike ride with more than just cameraderie. A spin without drift. A purpose: to beat the clock, (and fellow bike-club members). Yes. A race.
  
• When: Saturday, October 18.
  
• Where: Wolesely -> Assiniboine park and around that region, or garbage hill.
  
• Other details:
  • the idea of a handicap system was included (good show on Unger's part) with the initial proposal. However, that dream wavered when James, usually an upstanding man of integrity, (but it's true, he has been away) suggested he might not try very hard so he would have a stronger handicap. A shocking thought to all the other attending, pure spirited members. Now what? No conclusions have been reached. Perhaps a consultation is in order.
    
  • Fort Garry Cup is a nice name, but does not work out to an FGBC acronym. Along with that thought came the question of the nature of the cup to be won. An awkward silence was broken with the insightful suggestion, "What about a bubba?" Yes. Thus, perhaps Fort Garry Bubba Cup, or Fort Garry Bike Cup, or just Fort Garry Bubba. The members will need to speak on the issue of name.
    
  • of course, if there is to be a prize, be it of liquid nature or otherwise, there will be a small, upfront cost.

World Cup Road Biking Championships (or something like that)

• the technical director will be attending these races in Hamilton on behalf of the club
  
• can be viewed on CBC daily between 4 and 6 pm.
  
• of course, the Fort Garry Bubba Ceg/Cup will need to be monitored carefully in case it turns into a World Bubba Cup. The last thing we want is racers joining our club and spoiling the chances of faithful members who will get burned because someone wants to abuse the handicap system.

Useful link:www.g4s.org

• the new online resource for Manitoba cyclists.
  
• seems well and good, but they have also used a sprocket in their logo. Perhaps legal action would be appropriate.

October 11 ride

• Jonny, Juan Eppstein, and Unger seem to be the only ones who can commit. The rest of us will ride along in spirit. Some pictures might be nice.

a few new pics up on the Medora page

including a close-up of Chris's hospital tag. Proof of medical involvement. We're still waiting for the president's x-rays...
new Medora pics

will we ride oct. 11?

as per the last meeting, in which we almost determined that Oct. 11 would be a possible ride date, is anyone up for a day ride? the bit of the Trans-Canada Trail south of Morden was suggested.

please hit the comment button at the end of this post to respond. make sure you include your name at the top of the comment form.

Another Bike Club event?

Fans of the bicycle,

Here's another event that I think is worthy of FGBC representation. CMU is once again organizing a bike rally in honour of world car free day. It's not an exclusive event. There are always a bunch of other riders that add on to the CMU train. Unger & Co., here's your chance to take back the street. It might not be as powerful a statement as shutting down Portage on a Sunday evening, but it's a start. Meet Monday Sept. 22 @ 6pm in the CMU parking lot for a liesurely group ride to the Leg.

Chris.

FGBC Minutes, to a certain extent...

[Well, faithful minute readers, these will not be in the most formal arrangement... I was too busy eating dogs to take adequate record. the secretary.]

Location: Juan Eppstein's back yard.

Likely present: Chris, Juan Eppstein, Dave U, Jonny G, Dr. K, Glenn B, James F, the president, Luke S, special guest Bram ?, and me, the secretary. [again, dogs happily took the place of accurate record keeping. apologies to anyone missed. please add a comment below if such an oversight has taken place.]

The Wolsely contingent put in a very appropriate showing, arriving early on bikes. Those of us flung further afield had to make do with other vehicles. Little time was wasted before the first agenda was tackled: dogs, and for many, the beverage of our namesake.

No sooner did the first round of dogs get consumed, than did business break onto the scene.

1. Gender inclusiveness.
   
   • yes, it had apparently been on the mind of numerous members. There was a general, and gentle affirmation that it is good for "the boys" to get together now and again. After that moment had passed, it became a shade more testosterone driven, and numerous postures were struck. eg. "there's nothing stopping them from getting together," etc. etc., only to be outdone by, "last time I was in a bar, women were allowed".
   
   
   • as the FGBC is proud of being a self-governing collective, (no vote was taken, nor edict laid by leadership, (figurative or otherwise)), there is no official position, other than what might be perceived as testosterone inspired, peer pressurized consensus: "no f'in way." (excepting certain domestic, task related roles)
   
   
   • this discussion is likely not done... (like most of the bs we enjoy). the unspoken understanding, as precidented by the Medora event, will likely be that some mixed events will take place, but they will need to remain teetering on the edge of "Non FGBC Event Status". Sorry.


2. Next event
   
   • recent casual conversations have led to the place where it seems right and good that another event be considered that actually included some bike riding.
   
   
   • recent experiences on the Trans-Canada Trail, south of Morden, as taken in by Davey U, point at this location as a strong candidate for a fall ride
   
   
   • Hal L, has suggested he might join us as a guide. not all were, well... keen on the implication that the FGBC was internally not able to guide themselves.
     
   • whether we have the wherewithal to actually come to agreement on a date remains to be seen
   
   
   • the strongest date option appears to be Saturday, October 11.


3. Big event next summer
   
   • five day trip to Medora
   
   
   • the technical director asserted that this might be the best long ride within a day's drive
   
   
   • it's clear it will take us a full winter to process the effects of scheduling such an event


4. Next meeting
   
   • no date determined.
   
   
   • Hummelt hockey should start around the beginning of October, so regular tuesday evening meetings will become possible.

Dog fest

Dog fest @ Juan Eppstein's, 9:00pm, Tuesday Sept 16.
BYO-everything. (don't forget chairs)
I expect there will be some minor agenda discussed. Most specifically if we can get another Manitoba chapter ride in, the details of the US chapter ride, thoughts around gender inclusion/exclusion and hopefully a revisit of the story of Chris' trip to the hospital during the Medora event.

first u.s. chapter event

jon neufeld and I biked about 60 k.m. this past weekend to and from an AMBS retreat - maybe not as demanding as medora, but hey, we were dragging kids on trailers so that needs to count for something. we did not manage to consumate the event with a beverage, so you may dispute if this was even an official event, but we may get that opportunity yet!

any feedback on the idea of inviting jon to be an member? i suspect he'll be a more loyal participant than bechtel. its kind of lonely out here in the bike club diaspora.

andy

penner, you've got nothing on this guy

though pres. penner's broken collarbone makes him the only true cyclist among us, let it be noted that he has a long way to go to reach elite status. aussie roadie cadel evans retired from the vuelta a espana (tour of spain) yesterday after having broken his collarbone for the third time this year!

medora update

a short update on the medora event to keep the secretary off my back--though i'm beginning to suspect nobody besides the sec. actually reads this drivel.

medora has come and gone--unlike the foul smell of shit that hovered over our campsite all weekend long. aside from the smell of shit, the fire ban, the lack of grocery store, lousy maps, and the unpredictable hours at the bike shop, i think it is still safe to declare it a successful weekend. there is growing sentiment that we should approach krispy kreme as a secondary sponsor. i don't know about the rest of you, but my jersey still have room on the left shoulder for a supplementary logo.

the riding was delightful. not nearly as technically demanding as ingolf. mostly singletrack, with some moderate climbing and several fast, windy descents. a very fast trail. no serious crashes to report, though unger and rachel did end up going over the handlebars. we probably did less than 10% of the trail, so there is lots more to be done. some preliminary discussion took place concerning the feasibility of a 4-5 day ride of the entire trail as a possible 2004 bike club event.

given the participation of rachel, anita, charlene, and cheryl at this event, there was some serious debate about whether the weaker sex were actually permitted full membership in bike club. no conclusions were reached, though cheryl has been elected bike club wench. she will prepare food and keep the campsite in good order at all future events.

finally, as with all officially sanctioned bike club events, there was a trip to the emergency room. official diagnosis: acute abdominal pain due to partial blockage in the right colon. though the diagnosis has been the subject of some dispute, the good news is that the tech dir. was back on his bike by morning.

pics of the president being loaded into the ambulance

yes, a few nice shots of our president being loaded up, are to be found on page 3 of the Ingulf trip pics. I'm glad I was having a Medachschlop at the time.

Medora event over, check pics

well, the Medora event is over and it sounds like it was a success. Chris will be posting an update here soon. There are a few pics up.

medora event, 2

yes, the medora event is now merely hours away. i have secured a digital camera and will be taking lots of good pictures. there will be no collarbones broken without visual evidence. no shoddy documentary work this time around. but no portable tape recorder, so a haiku might be difficult.

here are the latest plans in as much detail as i can recall: depart wpg 0700 on 29 aug 2003. meet jonny and cheryl at emerson duty free at 0815. coffee and donuts at krispy kreme in fargo at 1030. arrive medora campground at 1600. 1700 - info session at dakota cyclery. party late into the night. saturday ride south part of the maah daah hey trail. sunday ride the northern part of the trail. monday morning get any lingering riding needs out of the system. depart for wpg, with yet another break at krispy kreme in fargo to top it all off.

for those of you who still need to be convinced that north dakota is a worthy bike club destination (or to see what you will be missing), check out these links: Maah-Daah-Hey Trail and Maah-Daah-Hey.

medora event

with a handful of riders about to depart for Medora, I hope care has been taken to appoint someone to document the event. pictures would be nice, a Haiku even better...

bike for sale

bike clubbers,

If anybody is looking for a new bike, here is a good option. Tim Loewen just bought a new set of wheels and so is selling his old race bike. I've pasted in the ad from the MCA webstie below.

Posted Aug 18:
99 Rocky Mtn. Thin Air 18.5" - well used and well maintained. Small dent in top tube and most stickers removed. Shimano XT hubs, shifters, levers, front & rear deraillers. Race Face cranks, bar, stem and XY seatpost. New Mavic 517 rim on rear wheel. Avid 25 single digit linear brakes. $700. contact Tim at 774-2068 or email at: tim_c_loewen@hotmail.com

Next event, new shirt, link on collarbones

In light of Penner's recent experience, and the apparent liklihood that another of us will have a similar experience so long as we remain committed riders of bikes, I think the article below should be considered mandatory bike club reading.

Also, Rachel has now officially booked a group camping site in Medora--not in the park, but in the campground right in town. So the trip is on.

Wore the new shirt to work the last few days. Feels pretty good. Later.

Chris.

http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/4557.0.html

Comments work

Finally got the comments to work. Now when you hit the comments button, you can add a comment to the post.

still waiting for Medora info

Still waiting for info from Chris and Rachel re the fall trip.

Well, here's the first attempt at creating a blog. There is so much interesting news in the FG Bike Club world that it needs a place to be found, maybe...